Thursday, February 2, 2017

Costco Shopping List

Lately I've been making a menu and grocery list for 2 weeks. I go back and forth with having a 2 week list back to a 1 week list. Sometimes I feel we save money grocery shopping for 2 weeks. Other times I don't see the difference. I usually have to go to the store weekly because of fruit and veggies.

I have found a trick that helps make fruit and veggies last. I do a vinegar wash. I fill a bowl up with water and put about a tablespoon of vinegar in the bowl. I throw tomatoes, grapes, Brussels sprouts, berries....whatever I'm cleaning. Costco has 2 gallons of vinegar for $4. That is about the price of 1 gallon at the regular store. Grapes are so dirty. It is nasty to see all the dirt on the bottom of the bowl once I wash the fruit and veggies.

I like to buy my lettuce at Costco. I've learned to really check the stems to make sure there is little to no brown on the bottoms. They will last 2-3 weeks if I pay attention to the bottoms. I buy the romaine lettuce that comes with 5-6 stalks for like $4. This will last me 2 weeks in the winter and a week in the summer. I tend to eat more salads in the summer. The winter I need warmer foods.

Here is my Costco list for 2 weeks.

2 rotisserie chickens

1 container of cherry tomatoes

2 bunches of bananas

2 pineapples

1-2 other types of fruit

1-2 bags of kale salad

1 bag romaine lettuce

1 container mushrooms

2-3 types of veggies

2 cases of organic almond milk

5 dozen eggs

Costco doesn't always have the same veggies. I meal plan ahead of my trip. I know they always have lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, celery, onions, potatoes and garlic. Depends on the season I might have to adjust my meals. I put down the veggies I want, but adjust once I'm there.

I also like to grab some meat. I will buy their $15 pork loin. I come home cut it into 4 sections, put it in freezer bags and freeze. This will last us about a month. I like some of their sausages too. They come with 3-4 packages. I just cut the packages apart and throw them in the freezer.

Recently I didn't have a rotisserie chicken in the fridge and I felt lost as to what to eat for lunch. This has become a staple for me. I buy 1-2 chicken at a time. I bring it home and take it all off the bones. I put one chicken in a Pyrex container in my fridge and the other in my freezer all deboned. This is great to grab to throw on a salad. I love to reheat it in my cast iron skillet with a little grease. Crispy chicken is really yummy on salads.

On nights when I don't feel like cooking I will throw some BBQ sauce over the chicken, bake a potato and there is dinner. I usually have some quick veggie to go along with it. We rarely eat take out food. I don't eat anything from fast food and very very rarely give anything to G from fast food.

I try to get gas at Costco too. I fill up when I'm there and it saves me .20-.50 cents a gallon. I have been loving this rainy weather for the Costco lines. People must be scared to go there. The gas line is 1-2 cars and inside sometimes no line. I feel like I hit the jackpot lol